There can be no doubt that the Irish Women’s game has taken a huge leap forward this season, however the match on Saturday afternoon, against England at Esher RFC, showed that they still have a bit to go if they are to dine at the top table of the Women’s game.

Ireland stuck with England for the first half, turning round at 6 – 6 but when the hosts turned on the power after the break the Irish girls struggled to cope, conceding two tries as England cut loose.

Ireland started the game strongly and looked to have the edge on England with the ball in hand. An early penalty from Niamh Briggs gave Ireland a deserved 3 – 0 lead after six minutes following good work from Joy Neville and Claire Molloy.

However England worked their way into the game and came close on a couple of occasions only to be halted by fully committed tackles from Ireland full back Ashleigh Baxter who gave new meaning to the expression of putting your body on the line. However the English pressure was made to count with the hosts taking a 6 – 3 lead through two Katy Mclean penalties.

The impressive Briggs immediately restored parity for Ireland with another penalty and the sides left the pitch level at 6-6 after a bruising first half encounter.

Ireland went all out for an early score after the restart but a Sophie Spence charge was halted by a high tackle and Ireland were unable to make their territorial advantage count.

England went into the lead through a third Mclean penalty and as England rang the changes it looked as though the home pack were beginning to get on top.

Ireland lost their composure as England rang the changes from the bench and England enjoyed their best period of the game with first Mclean going over for a try to be followed by replacement Amy Turner who burrowed over from close range after a period of sustained pressure. Mclean converted both and Emily Scarratt added a long range penalty to give England a 23 – 6 lead.

Ireland rang their own changes with Larissa Muldoon and Jenny Murphy looking impressive but despite Muldoon adding a bit of extra pace and distance to the ball from the base of the scrum the Irish girls were unable to break down the English defence.

Ireland must now wait for the result from the match between Wales and France today to see if they are going to finish second or third.

Ireland: Ashleigh Baxter, Niamh Kavanagh, Niamh Briggs, Grace Davitt, Alison Miller, Lynne Cantwell, Amy Davis, Fiona Coghlan, Gillian Bourke, Ailis Egan, Sophie Spence, Marie Louise Reilly,  Laura Guest, Claire Molloy, Joy Neville. Replacements: Paula Fitzpatrick, Ruth O’Reilly, Siobhan Fleming, Heather O’Brien, Larissa Muldoon, Shannon Houston, Jenny Murphy.

I’d billed this as the game of the weekend and it certainly lived up to it’s billing with the teams producing an excellent match and while the Irish girls can be justifiably proud of their performances it is time for the IRFU to take a long hard look at their support of the women’s game as it was the shortfall in support that ultimately proved the difference between the two teams.

Leaving aside the debacle of the transport arrangements for the French game the most telling difference between the two teams was the strength in depth and experience of the English side. Ireland are restricted to 26 players throughout the series with many having little international experience due to the fact that Ireland fail to line up any matches outside of the Six Nations.  England on the other hand have a squad of 44 players and have played five full internationals since last years Six Nations, add in England A matches and U20’s Internationals and you can add another six quality games to that total for England.

France, Italy and Scotland all play regular internationals outside the Six Nations and Wales also feature an U20’s side. England, France and Italy compete regularly on the Women’s International 7’s circuit, Ireland compete in none.

This is a shocking lack of parity for the Irish girls and it makes their achievements this season all the more remarkable. There are more than a few people at D4 headquarters who should be hanging their head in shame.